Washington Wilderness Camping: Is it Dangerous?

Family camp trips are the best! This is the time of year to get to the mountains and enjoy the beautiful nature the Pacific Northwest is known for. Surprisingly, many people hesitate to be in nature, fearing the wildlife they may encounter.

I've been a wilderness hiker, rider, and camper my whole life. and I've never seen a cougar or a bear. I've seen lots of other beautiful wildlife though. I've seen my share of Elk, Moose, Deer and Rattlesnakes.

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Some of my best childhood and adult memories are from amazing hikes and camping trips with family and friends.

I love taking my horses and dogs to the mountains and camping where you can enjoy shady trails to ride or hike.

Sleeping outside under the stars is something I always did when I was a teen and young adult. In more recent years I've ended up sleeping in a camper.

But, I miss the days I'd pull my sleeping bag up to the fire pit and sleep out in the open. Most often a meadow surrounded by forest, or a Southern Utah desert.

The stars were always bright and beautiful as I was lying there listening to the diminishing crackle of the fire the night sky becoming more vibrant.

I remember camping at Yellowstone. We backpacked into the forest about 10 miles and camped near a beautiful river, that we bathed in at 2 AM! (with eco-friendly soap of course) The shallow river felt warm.

We cooked our freshly caught trout on a stick over an open fire the next morning. We put bacon in the fish's belly for extra flavor. I can still recall how good that tasted!

Interestingly we knew that where we camped was bear country.

We knew to keep coolers locked and stowed. And I think we hung some things up in the trees. We took precautions. I don't remember being worried about bears necessarily. I'd be more concerned now than back then. Ignorance is bliss I suppose!

But the facts remain that it's probably safer in the mountains with all the wildlife encounters than on the busy highways or the neighborhoods we live in.

We have only to watch or listen to the news to know that is the truth. So enjoy the beauty of nature when you get the chance and know that statistics are in your favor.

Statistics show in the last 100 years, only 20 cougar encounters resulted in human injuries and two fatal attacks. 

As of February 2024, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reported that fewer than two dozen people have been injured by bears in Washington state over the past 50 years. Since 1970, state authorities have recorded 20 documented human-black bear encounters that resulted in injury, including one fatal attack on a 4-year-old girl in Klickitat County in 1974. 

Further information about Bears can be found at BearVault.com